The term “High Definition” is often used in connection with HDTV and is generally associated with a better picture quality than was available via the older broadcast standards such as PAL or NTSC. The improved quality is achieved by using higher picture resolutions and also a higher bit transmission rate as compared with older television standards. Terms such as 720p and 1080i are often used to describe the high definition TV formats, with 720p referring to a picture with 720 vertical lines, each with 1280 pixels horizontally which amounts to a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. The “p” suffix in the 720p format indicates that progressive scanning is used, which means that each scan includes every line for a complete picture (i.e., the picture is not interlaced). Similarly, the 1080i format corresponds to a picture with 1080 vertical lines, each with 1920 pixels horizontally, which translates to a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. The 1080i format utilizes interlaced scanning, which alternates sending odd lines and even scan lines. As compared to the standard 525 lines of resolution used in the United States or the 625 lines used in Europe, high definition TV delivers a much cleaner, sharper and better picture.
The trend toward higher resolution images has also found its way into the computer display industry, with high definition in this context generally referring to resolutions that are higher than the so called standard personal computer resolutions. Standard PC resolutions might be, for example, 1024×768 pixels or 1280×1024 pixels. Of course, in the last few years personal computers have become multimedia centres and users expect their computers to be able to create, display, edit, and process a wide variety of multimedia data formats including, for example, video data, music data, photo data, etc.
Concomitant with an increase in raw computer processing power that has been the trend in recent years, users have seen a broadening in the sorts of devices that can create and play digital (multimedia) content. Traditional sources of digital input (e.g., digital still cameras, scanners, digital movie cameras, digitized analog photographs/video clips, etc.) have been enhanced to provide additional multimedia content (e.g., digital still cameras can now take movies and record audio) and new capabilities have been added to devices that have not traditionally been used as multimedia data sources (e.g., digital photos may be obtained from cellular phones, PDAs, etc.). Of course, even consumer-level digital cameras have resolutions that are far beyond—and in a different aspect ratio than—the 1080i HD standard. For example, a 4 megapixel camera produces a digital image with dimension of about 2200 by 1700 pixels at full resolution. The situation is similar with respect to some digital video cameras and the resolution discrepancy between digital cameras and the standard HD formats will likely only get worse as the resolution of those devices continues to increase.
Of course, improvements in peripheral technology would be of little practical importance to a consumer if these digital devices could not be easily interconnected with a personal computer. Interconnectivity requires, of course, an appropriate hardware interface as well as software to read and store the digital data taken from the originating device.
These advances in technology, however, have left the average consumer with the perplexing and difficult task of combining together digital multimedia files from a variety of different sources, each of which was potentially acquired at a different resolution. Further, the consumer that desires to create high definition video output is faced with the difficult task of determining exactly how digital images that were taken at a variety of different resolutions (e.g., 2272×1704 pixels or 2816×2112 pixels) are to be resized and/or cropped to make such images compatible with one of the HD standards. Further, in order to produce the best possible movie product the creator will need to be knowledgeable as to which of the current HD standards will be used to view the completed work or, minimally, the resolution of the intended viewing device. Thus, the best quality movie will be one that takes into consideration both the HD standard and the specification of the available display device(s).
Of course, this sort of detailed knowledge may not be readily available to the hobbyist end user. Video display technology has complicated the matter even further. For example in recent years digitalisation has become common place in the field of the display devices with displays such as TFT displays, digital TVs, and digital projectors reaching broad distribution by virtue of their quality and steadily decreasing prices. Since, a TFT display directly controls each pixel in the display, devices such as this are really only suitable for use at a single predefined resolution if the best possible image/display quality is desired. At other non-preferred resolutions, the image that is presented to the viewer will be of less than optimal quality because it is an interpolated (or edited) version of the original.
Thus, the user who wants to create a work from high resolution input material that is visually attractive to a subsequent viewer will want to know the preferred resolution of the viewer's display device or, in the case of the HD broadcast standards, which standard to apply (e.g., 720p or 1080i). Further, the user will also need to understand and select the aspect ratio of the output material since, for example, most digital photo devices produce photographs in an aspect ratio of 4:3, which those of ordinary skill in the art will understand to mean that the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the image are in the ratio of 4 to 3. However, high definition displays are usually best suited for display of materials that have an aspect ratio of 16:9. Still further, the novice user will need to understand the difference between interlaced and non-interlaced displays—and whether the intended display device is capable of displaying same—in order to create the best possible video product.
Finally, many casual users will not be familiar with the sorts of decisions that may need to be made when a digital still photo (or video clip) is edited or where special effects are applied thereto. That is, many users do not understand that digital effects such as zooming, panning, scrolling, scaling, etc., must be performed at the resolution of the intended output device if the best possible product is to be obtained. For example, it is generally desirable not to zoom into an image beyond the point where the pixel ratio is in excess of 1:1 because of the degraded image that results (e.g., blockiness or “pixelation” can be created in the image in an attempt to fill the screen). However, this degradation can be de-emphasised by using interpolation (rather than replication) if the user knows enough to select this option. Even so, the user may not realize that even though the on-screen appearance during editing of a video work is acceptable, the final product (because of its higher resolution) might not be. Similarly, when digital effects and transitions are applied, the output must be at a resolution that is commensurate with that of the display medium if the result is to be the most pleasing.
As a consequence, the user who desires to create the best possible video work is confronted with a wide variety of technical options, the correct selections of which may be beyond his or her experience or training. In such a circumstance the user may very well be overwhelmed with the technical details and make parameter choices that yield an inferior movie which, in turn, can lead to frustration with the process.
Thus what is needed is a method that releases the user from the need to specify each of a host of settings when creating high definition output material from high definition input material so that the output preserves the high quality of the input, at least in so far as that is possible.
Heretofore, as is well known in the media editing industry, there has been a need for an invention to address and solve the above-described problems. Accordingly it should now be recognized, as was recognized by the present inventors, that there exists, and has existed for some time, a very real need for a system and method that would assist a user in creating high definition video works from sources of different resolutions, aspect ratios, etc. and which does not exhibit the limitations of prior art systems and methods.
Before proceeding to a description of the present invention, however, it should be noted and remembered that the description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings, should not be construed as limiting the invention to the examples (or preferred embodiments) shown and described. This is so because those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be able to devise other forms of the invention within the ambit of the appended claims.